Fifth Summit of Americans

The three-day Fifth Summit of the Americas-- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela-- concluded in Port of Spain on April 20, 2009 with hemispheric leaders failing to adopt the "Declaration of Port of Spain" that would have provided a blueprint for the future socio-economic development of the Americas.

The Declaration
The declaration itself did not have the approval of all 34 countries. Some countries had reservations about some elements of it and that is understandable because it is very difficult with 34 countries meeting and negotiating positions. Prior to the summit, the member countries of the Alternative Bolivarian for the People's of Our Americas (ALBA), which also includes Nicaragua and Bolivia had vowed not to sign the "Declaration of Port of Spain" in solidarity with Cuba that has not been invited to this nor previous summits.The Declaration of Port of Spain was an attempt to define a renewed hemispheric cooperation agenda for sustainable development in the Americas and addresses the main themes of the summit "Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability".

The Declaration of Port of Spain therefore does not fully reflect that because of the time it was negotiated. The negotiations for the declaration had ended before the G-20 Summit in London had taken place.Allocation of SourcesThe deliberation took that into account and came to additional conclusion that we were concerned about the allocation of resources to development institutions, particularly the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).The leaders at the summit expressed the view that we thought that the western hemisphere countries should not be disadvantaged as a consequence of an improper allocation of finances to the IADB and that the time was most appropriate and opportune to recapitalise the IADB.They adopted the document at the retreat, which meant there was not unanimity, but there was consensus on the matter.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders in the discussions served as a tremendous voice of reason and of openness at those times when dialogue did get heated without steering us away from those disagreements.

Optimism Over Relations With US
The South American Presidents were pleased about the new era that appears to be opening in relations with the US and with President Barack Obama's promises that they will be treated as equals, promises that he reiterated during his first Summit of the Americas.

In addition to handshakes and smiles, the conversations with Obama proceeded in an atmosphere of such respect and cordiality that there is now talk of this summit marking a turning point in relations with the US. During this first meeting with the bloc that consists of one of the chief issues was the need for the US to normalise its relations with Cuba, a position that is gaining strength with the Obama administration.

The South American Presidents agreed on the necessity for including Cuba in these summits and President Obama said that this proposal will be studied.

But aside from advances made on the issue of US relations with Cuba and the reinclusion of Cuba in the inter-American system, the region's Presidents are convinced that the difficulties that marked relations (with the United States) during the era of George W. Bush have been put behind them.